Chapter 41: Secret Lock

“Something came up, so I haven’t been out in a while,” Gao De sighed helplessly, then asked, “Do you still buy Chujizhuduyaoji ?”

“Of course,” Pierre nodded with a smile, adding a piece of information to Gao De.

“For some reason, the number of wild beasts outside the city has clearly increased, and they’ve become much more aggressive—even the frequency of geopulse creatures appearing has risen significantly, so more hunters are venturing out.”

“Demand for Chujizhuduyaoji has surged during this period—it’s barely keeping up.”

Chujizhuduyaoji is primarily used by hunters to coat arrows and weapons against ferocious beasts; its potent paralytic effect makes it a powerful tool against low-grade geopulse creatures and wild animals.

With more hunting activity, sales of Chujizhuduyaoji naturally rose.

This was good news for Gao De.

He felt a flicker of interest and handed Pierre a set of Chujizhuduyaoji .

Pierre took the vials, a faint glint flashing in his eyes, then nodded in satisfaction. “Your goods are still just as good as ever.”

He put away the Chujizhuduyaoji and pulled out some coins from a drawer beneath the counter, handing them to Gao De.

“Didn’t you give me too much?” Gao De calculated mentally—he found Pierre had given him one Xien gold coin plus fifteen Three-Leaf Flower silver coins, totaling thirty-five silver.

That was two silver more than the original agreed price of thirty-three silver.

It wasn’t a large sum, but Gao De had no intention of taking such small advantages.

“Didn’t I tell you Chujizhuduyaoji is in short supply right now? So the price went up ten percent—I naturally raised my purchase price too. Do you think I’d cheat you?” Pierre explained.

Knowing it wasn’t an overpayment, Gao De accepted without further protest.

“By the way, you mentioned earlier you take on magical item repairs—is that still valid?” After the transaction, Pierre called out to Gao De.

Gao De’s eyes lit up. “Is there a job?”

Repairing magical items could earn extra income and indirectly reveal insights into spells—it was a two-for-one opportunity.

“Yes, after I put out the word, someone actually came by a few days ago to inquire,” Pierre nodded, still standing. “But you hadn’t shown up in a while, so I didn’t commit right away.”

“Still, he left me an address,” the old man leaned closer to Gao De. “The price he offered was unusually high.”

“How high?” Gao De asked instinctively.

Pierre extended his right hand and opened it.

“Five Xien gold coins?” Gao De was slightly startled.

Pierre nodded firmly. “Surprised? I was too when I heard it.”

“A first-tier magical item?” Gao De hesitated.

“Yes,” Pierre spread his hands. “Otherwise, why would anyone pay such a high repair fee?”

A zero-tier magical item is worth only twelve to fifteen gold coins—paying five gold just to repair it would be cheaper to buy a new one.

Only a first-tier magical item could justify such a repair fee.

“Can you fix it?” Pierre asked.

Repairing a first-tier magical item was not on the same scale as repairing a zero-tier one; Pierre wasn’t sure if Gao De had the skill—this was one reason he hadn’t agreed earlier. “Yes,” Gao De nodded. “But it will take time, and—”

He paused, then said firmly, “I need more money.”

Repair fees are typically around ten percent of the item’s value; the average price of a first-tier magical item is sixty-five gold.

In Hogen City, finding a second person capable of repairing first-tier magical items was nearly impossible.

Rarity commands value—under these circumstances, a reasonable price increase was justified.

Pierre understood the market well and didn’t think Gao De was being greedy; he even nodded in agreement. “Five gold is high, but for repairing a first-tier magical item, it’s still too low.”

“If you can fix it, I’ll negotiate the price for you. How about you come back to the shop the day after tomorrow?” The old man smiled warmly.

“I’d be grateful,” Gao De had no objections. “I’ll come back the day after tomorrow.”

“Sir, do you know of any zero- or first-tier spells that can protect a box and prevent outsiders from opening it?” After a moment’s hesitation, Gao De asked.

The magical wooden box left by Seda the mage must be opened somehow.

Though asking directly might reveal some information, he judged the risk acceptable.

Besides, if he tried to hide it, he might not fool anyone—and might even invite more suspicion.

Moreover, through several interactions, Gao De and Pierre had built a modest amount of trust.

Most importantly, Gao De had sensed, through these encounters, that the old man was far more complex than he appeared—not merely a small shopkeeper, but exceptionally well-traveled and knowledgeable, the most likely person he knew who could answer his questions.

Not to mention the wooden sign outside the shop listed Pierre’s broad “services”: secondhand item recovery and treasure appraisal.

Treating Seda’s magical wooden box as a treasure didn’t seem unreasonable.

“Protect a box and prevent outsiders from opening it?”

Pierre didn’t disappoint. After furrowing his faintly whitened brows and thinking for a moment, he answered: “Based on your description, the only thing I can think of is the Secret Lock.”

“Secret Lock?” Gao De raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, the first-tier spell Secret Lock,” Pierre explained in detail. “It can be cast on a door, chest, or any sealed container, magically locking it and greatly enhancing its security.”

Unless you possess the correct unlocking incantation or powerful magical means, it will be nearly impossible to open.”

“This means ordinary physical methods—like lockpicking or brute force—won’t work on a container enchanted with Secret Lock.”

“Because of this effect, Secret Lock also serves to protect the container,” Pierre explained.

“Of course, there may be other spells that achieve what you describe—I only know the most common and universal ones,” the old man shook his head slightly. “There are simply too many spells.”

“Is there any way to open a Secret Lock?” Gao De was almost certain Seda’s wooden box was sealed with Secret Lock. He frowned, feeling helpless.

The cantrip [Tracking Mark] had already left him powerless; as a first-tier spell, Secret Lock would surely be beyond his reach.

“If you don’t know the unlocking incantation, the only way I can think of is Dispel Magic—it directly cancels the Secret Lock’s effect.”

“The other is Knock—it temporarily suppresses the spell’s effect for a short time,” Pierre spread his hands. “But Dispel Magic is a third-tier spell, so don’t even think about it.”

(End of Chapter)